Apparatus for crushing cans



Nov. 1, 1960 w. c. MORROW APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 31, 1956 INVENTOR.

WALKER C. MORROW ATTORNEYS Nov. 1, 1960 w. c. MORROW 2,958,273

APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING CANS Filed Dec. 31, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.7.

INVENTOR. WALKER C. MORROW ATTORNEYS nit APPARATUS FOR CRUSI HNG CANS Walker C. Morrow, 27 665 Elba Drive, Grosse Ile, Mich.

Filed Dec. 31, 1956, Ser. No. 631,541

7 Claims. (Cl. 100-98) This invention relates to an apparatus for crushing cans.

The storage and disposal of empty containers or cans presents an annoying problem for gasoline service stations, restaurants and the like where large numbers of such containers are involved. One object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for crushing or flattening cans or containers so that they will be less bulky and hence easier to store in limited space.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for crushing cans which is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate and composed of a relatively few simple parts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a can crusher which not only crushes the cans to a substantially flattened condition but also cuts the cans in two for easy storage and disposal.

A further object of the invention is to provide a can crusher which comprises a base for supporting the.container or can in position on one side, and mechanism for flattening the can including a knife-like member movable toward the base to engage the opposite side of the container intermediate its ends and to cooperate with the base to flatten the sides against one another intermediate the ends of the cans and to cause the ends of the can to turn inwardly to positions inclined toward one another. The flattening mechanism also includes a second member which engages the inwardly inclined ends of the can to further turn the end-s of the can flat upon the sides. The first member is in the form of a cutter which is also adapted to cut the can in two.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a can crusher which includes a hopper and escapement mechanism operated by the can crusher for feeding individual cans to the crusher.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds especially when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view, partly in section of a device for flattening cans embodying the invention, looking in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3.

Figure 2 is a view taken along the line 22 on Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the device taken at right angles to the Figure 1 view.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 on Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 on Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a crushed can half.

Figure 7 is an edge view of the can shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detail of a portion of the escapement.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the device for crushing cans is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a supporting frame 12 having a base 14 extending across the top of the 2,958,273 Patented Nov. 1, 1960 connected by a frame member '20. The posts .18 are "perpendicular to the flat-upper surfaces 22 of the plates 15 of base 14 and are slidably received in grooves 24 formed in the head. The surfaces 22 of course lie in a common plane. Thus the head reciprocates toward and away from the 'base 14,1and the flat under surface 26 of the head liesin "a planeparallel to theplane of the top surface 22 of 'the base.

A cutter28 is rigidly'isecured to the head for movement 'asa unittherewith. As'seen in Figure 1, the upper end of the cutter extendsinto a slot 30 in the under surface of the head and is permanently secured therein. The cutter .is in the form of an .elongated flat plate which extends "from the inlet end 32 of the device to the outlet end 34 thereof. The.slot'17 lies directly beneath and is parallel to the cutter to receive the cutter during movement of the head toward the base.

As seen in Figure 3, the device is oriented at a subist-antial angle to 'the horizontal which is represented by the 'line 37. In the present instance, the top surface .22 of the base forms an angle to the horizontal of approximately 45 degrees.

A hopper 38'for-ms a part of the device and is in the form of a chute having a bottom wall 4-0 andside walls 42 which extendparallel to one another and at right angles to the bottom wall '40. The bottom wall 40 of the chute is sloped downwardly toward the can crusher and its lower or discharge end is disposed at the inlet 32 of the can crusher with the surface 22 of base 14 in continuation of the bottom wall 40 of the chute. The distance between the side walls 42 of the chute is equal to approximately the length from end to end of a can or hollow container 0 which is desired to be crushed by the device. The container C may be an empty oil can, for example, having a cylindrical side wall 43 and end walls 44. One end wall has a punched opening 45 .therein from which the contents were drained.

The cutter has a lower edge 46 formed with an intervmediate concave portion 48 which may be seen in section portion 48 is substantially greater than the radius of the side wall of can C tobe crushed by the device to have a more effective flattening and cutting action as explained more fully below.

Escapement mechanism 50 is also provided for feeding cans one by one tothe crusher. The escapement includes a lever 52 mounted on a fixed pivot 54 and having a part 56 which extends upwardly through an opening in the bottom wall 40 to engage a can C and thereby block the column of cans behind it from rolling down the chute and into the crusher. The escapement also includes a lever 57 supported on a fixed pivot 58 and having a part 60 extending through an opening 61 in one of the base plates 15. The adjacent ends of the levers 52 and 57 are connected together by a pivot pin 62 carried by lever 52 and extending through an elongated slot 63 in lever 57. The escapement normally assumes the position shown in full lines in Figure 3, being urged to this position by the tension spring 66 which has one end connected to the pivot 62 and the other end mounted on a fixed support 68.

The head 16 is reciprocable between an upper position, above that shown in Figure 3, in which the lower edge of the cutter is spaced above the top surface of the base a distance greater than the diameter of the cans C, to a lower position determined by the engagement of the lower surface of the head with the top surface of the base or with a flattened can supported on the base. Suitable mechanism including the link 70 may be provided for reciprocating the head. The link 70 extends through an enlarged opening 71 in the frame member 20'and has one end pivoted to the top of the head as indicated at 72.

Locating pins 74 are also provided. These pins have their upper ends secured to the frame member 20 and extend at right angles to the top surface 22 of base 14. The pins also extend freely through openings in the head to permit the head to reciprocate relative to the fixed pins. The lower ends of the pins are spaced above the base plate 14 a distance suflicient to pass a crushed or flattened can C.

The operation of the device should be readily apparent from the foregoing. Let it be assumed that the head is in its upper limiting position and a can C is supported on the base on its side and resting against the locating pins 74. Upon downward movement of the head, the concave portion 48 of the cutter will engage the side of the can at a point between the ends of the can and diametrically opposite the side supported on the base (see Figure 1). As the head continues down, the cutter will initially flatten this intermediate portion of the can, as

indicated in solid lines in Figure 1. This flattening of the intermediate side portion also has the effect of drawing inwardly the ends of the can to the inclined positions shown. Upon further downward movement of the head, the intermediate side portion of the can engaged by the cutter is pressed flat against that portion of the can supported upon the base over the slot 17 whereupon the can assumes substantially the position shown in the dotted lines 80 in Figure 1. In this position, the ends of the can are turned inwardly to positions inclined towards one another at a substantial angle. The head continues to move downwardly with the result that the cutter edge 48 cuts through the side wall of the can to cut it in two. A flattened annular blank will be cut from the side of the can by the cutter and will fall through the slot 17.

Thereafter, the undersurface 26 of the head will move into engagement with the ends of the can and turn them inwardly towards each other still further until they assume the flattened condition indicated at 82 in which the can ends are pressed flat against the flattened sides of the can and into a plane substantially parallel to that of the top surface 22 of the base. The further flattening of the side wall of the can as illustrated at 82 is of course effected by the surface 26 of the head as it moves downwardly.

As the head moves downwardly, the under surface thereof engages the part 60 of the lever 57 of the escapement and rotates it sufllciently to withdraw the lever 52 from withholding engagement with the can in the chute and the can thus released rolls to the lower discharge end of the chute and against the cutter 28 and head 16 which prevent it from entering the device at this time. However, When the head is retracted to its upper position, the escapement assumes the position illustrated in Figure 3 in which the lever 52 blocks the next succeeding can in the series and the can previously released is permitted by the head to enter the device and roll down the base and into engagement with locating pins 74 for the next cycle of operation. The flattened can slides off the base by gravity through the discharge end 34 when the head is raised. A receptacle may be provided at the discharge end 34 to receive the flattened cans.

' Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a flattened half-can which 4 takes up only a small fraction of the space occupied by an unflattened can.

It is very desirable to cut the can in two during crushing, as shown and described, since it provides for more complete evacuation of the residual contents of the can. Moreover, in the case of cans whose diameter is greater than one-half the length, as is true of most cans, the ends of the can may be buckled during crushing if the can is not cut in two. This may result from the can ends impinging upon each other or by engagement of the ends with a crusher element similar to cutter 28.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved methods and apparatus for crushing cans in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device for flattening a hollow deformable container such as a tin can, comprising a slotted base having a. flat surface for supporting the container in position on one side, and flattening mechanism including a cutter disposed between the ends of and extending transversely of the container when the latter is positioned on said base as aforesaid, said cutter being movable toward said base and adapted to engage the opposite side of the container intermediate the ends thereof and to cooperate With said base during movement of said cutter toward said base to initially flatten said sides against one another intermediate the ends of the container and thereafter to pass through the slot in said base cutting through said sides to cut the container in two and simultaneously with the flattening and cutting of said sides to turn the ends of the container to positions inclined inwardly toward one another, and a member movable toward said base and having a flat surface opposed to and parallel to said flat surface of said base and engageable with the inwardly inclined ends of the container to further turn the ends of the container into a common plane parallel to said flat surface of said base and flat against said sides.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said flat surface of said base is inclined to the horizontal, and also including inclined locating means operably associated with said base, cutter and member for engaging an unflattened container to locate the latter on said one side in the aforesaid position, said locating means clearing the container after it is flattened by said cutter and member to permit the automatic discharge of the container by gravity following movement of said cutter and member away from said base and out of engagement with the container.

3. A device for flattening a hollow deformable container such as a tin can, comprising a base having a flat surface for supporting the container in position on one side, and flattening mechanism including a cutter disposed between the ends of and extending transversely of the container when the latter is positioned on said base as aforesaid, said cutter being movable toward and away from said base and adapted to engage the opposite side of the container intermediate the ends thereof and to cooperate with said base during movement of said cutter toward said base to initially flatten said sides against one another intermediate the ends of the container and thereafter to cut through the sides to cut the container in two and simultaneously with the flattening and cutting of said sides to turn the ends of the container to positions inclined inwardly toward one another, said base having a slot opposite said cutter for receiving the latter after it cuts through the container, and a member rigid and movable as a unit with said cutter and from which said cutter depends, said member having a flat surface opposed to and parallel to said flat surface of said base and engageable with the inwardly inclined ends of the container following flattening of said sides by said cutter to turn the ends of the container into a common plane parallel to said flat surface of said base and flat upon said sides, said flat surface of said member completely overlying the con tainer to flatten the entire container including its end and side walls upon movement of said member toward said base.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 in which said cutter has an edge portion formed with an intermediate concave cutting portion engageable with said opposite side of the container, the radius of said concave cutting portion being greater than the radius of the container.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 in which said flat surface of said base is inclined to the horizontal, and also including inclined locating means operably associated with said base and member for engaging an unflattened container to locate the latter on one side in the aforesaid position, said locating means operable to clear the container after the container is flattened by said cutter and member to permit the automatic discharge of the container from the device by gravity following movement of said cutter and member away from said base and out of engagement with said container.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 including a chute for holding containers to be flattened and having its discharge end positioned adjacent said flat surface of said base, and escapement mechanism operated by said flattening mechanism during flattening of a container to discharge a container from said chute to said base when said cutter and member are moved into positions remote from said base.

7. A device for flattening a hollow deformable container, comprising a base for supporting the container on one side thereof in a predetermined location on said base, said base having a slot therethrough extending transversely of and substantially centrally of said container in said predetermined position, a cutter movably mounted with respect to said base and positioned adjacent said slot, said container in said predetermined position thereof being located between said base and cutter, said cutter being movable toward said base and through said slot to first flatten the sides of the container against one another and turn the ends of the container to positions inclined inwardly toward one another, and then to cut the container in two laterally, and flattening means rigidly secured to said cutter for movement therewith and having a substantially flat surface parallel to said base engageable with the inclined ends of the cut in two container on movement thereof toward said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 809,512 Von der Linde J an. 9 ,1906 1,384,103 Smith July 12, 1921 2,073,174 Potter Mar. 9, 1937 2,466,907 Nadolny et al Apr. 12, 1949 2,522,800 Quiroz Sept. 19, 1950 2,563,379 Smith Aug. 7, 1951 2,602,483 Graham July 8, 1952 2,603,271 Heymers July 15, 1952 2,616,477 Scheer Nov. 4, 1952 2,638,957 Danielson May 19, 1953 2,667,118 Nelson Jan. 26, 1954 2,723,618 Matthews Nov. 15, 1955 2,737,995 Jennings Mar. 13, 1956 2,826,137 Hagerty Mar. 11, 1958 

